Flaming Keys Unlock a Dragon's Heart
by iLoveArminArlert
Summary: If Natsu found Igneel, would he be sad? Happy? Or maybe Angry? Nalu Story with Gruvia and Gale. Please no mean comments! I can take creative critisicm but this is my first fic, anyway, fairy tail does not belong to me, its belongs to Hiro Mashima Senpai! Hes a genius! Nothing really Innapropriate, just in case I made it rated T.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy had just woken up from a peaceeful sleep. She didn't want to get up; She was warm and comfortable, and under her fuzzy covers. She lied there a few minutes, enjoying the warmth, before slowly pushing herself up with the palms of her hands, and getting up, not realizing the fluffy pink hair that had been next to her.

She walked over to her wardrobe and picked out a lime green T-shirt and a little pink these really work together? She mentally asked herself. Shrugging, she headed over to the bathroom to get ready.

She took her toothbrush out of the little tin it had been placed in, and applied a pea-sized amount of her favorite minty toothpaste. She put the toothbrush in her mouth and scrubbed until her teeth were clean. Then, she brushed her hair and put a little blue stretchy band in it to give hrr a nice little side ponytail, while some of her hair stayed down. She'd decided not to take a bath that day, since she had just took one last night. Instead, she put on a few sprays of her vanilla-strawberry perfume. She slipped into her new outfit before adding a touch of eyeliner. But hey that was all she needed.

She checked herself out in the mirror before quietly saying to herself, "I am lookin' good!" She smiled and walked out of the bathroom.

She was about to walk out the door when she heard a strange noise. Grrrrrrrr... Grrr... After she heard it she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Haha, looks like I'm hungry. I should just eat here quickly so I don't have to pay to eat at the guild.

Smiling to herself, she opened the fridge. Grabbing two eggs, she closed it and proceeded to make herself breakfast.

After she ate her omelette, she looked over at her bed when she heard a grunting noise coming from it. Why is the blanket on my bed... moving?

She instantly knew who was in her bed. "RRRRRRRRRRR! NATSU...! GET OUT OF HERE!" If it were any other guy, she would've been blushing like crazy, but she was so used to Natsu doing this that it had no effect on her.

Ignoring her, he sniffed the air and said, "You made eggs? Where's mine?"

"Yeah, I made eggs! But that was before I knew you were here!"

"Aren't you gonna make me some?"

"No!"

"Awww, why not?" He whined childishly, "I'm so hungry!"

"THEN EAT AT THE GUILD!"

"But I want your cooking, Luce!" He pouted.

"Ugh. Fine, but just this once." She said, an annoyed look on her face. There's just no arguing with Natsu.

He flashed Lucy a toothy grin before saying, " Okay! Lets go!" He dashed into the kitchen. Lucy sighed, trudging slowly after him.

While she was getting ingredients from the fridge, she felt Natsu's eyes on her. He was also staring impatiently at her while she was cooking his breakfast.

Finally, he sighed. "Come on, Luce! I don't care if it gets burnt or not! Just turn up the heat so it'll cook faster! I'm STARVIIIING!" He complained.

"Be quiet Natsu, don't you want it to at least taste good? Isn't that the whole reason you wanted MY cooking?"

"Well yeah, I guess..." He trailed off. Suddenly the room became silent, almost awkward.

"Ah, your food is done..." She said, putting the plate down in front of him.

"YAY!" He yelled happily, before scarfing down the omelette in 3 bites.

"NATSU! T-that was a FOUR EGG OMELETTE!" She was astounded by the speed of his eating, almost as if it were a skill.

"Aaaand, your point being...?" He asked nonchalantly.

"*SIGHS* Never mind. Let's go to the guild."

"Okay!" He exclaimed.

While they were walking to the guild, Natsu couldn't help but feel annoyed at how slowly Lucy was walking. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Lucy," He stopped walking and murmured her name in a deep, serious tone.

"Y-yes?!" She asked nervously, surprised by the sudden change in his tone.

"..." He stared intensely into her eyes, causing her cheeks to turn slightly pink. "Race you to the guild!" He said in an enthusiastic voice, laughing.

"Jerk!" She said and punched his arm, "I'm not racing you."

"Hmph." Natsu tried to think of another way to get there faster. "Oh!" He accidentally said aloud, earning him a strange look from Lucy. He just grasped her hand tightly and started running towards the guild.

"ARRRRGH! NATSUUU!" Lucy yelled angrily, trying to break free of his grasp, but failing.

When they got into the guild, they forgot that they were still holding hands.

"Awwww," Mira said, obviously pleased, " So you're a couple now?"

Lucy pulled her hand away from Natsu, "I-it's not what it looks like!" She yelled, her face turning red.

"Actually," Natsu said, "It's exactly what it looks like." Everyone looked surprised when he said that. "I mean, if Gray was standing by us then all three of us would be a few. Because a single is one, a couple is two, and a few is three, right?" Everyone sweat dropped.

"Sure, Natsu, sure." Lucy groaned, walking to go sit at the bar.

"So," Mira said sweetly, an evil smile plastered along her face, "Do you liiike Natsu?"

"Of c-course I don't like Natsu! H-how do you even think of things like this?" She said, flustered.

"Naaaatsuuuuu!" Mira yelled, " Come here!"

Oh no. Oh no. OH NO!

Natsu walked over at sat at the stool next to Lucy. "Yea?"

"Natsu," Mirajane smiled sweetly, "Do you liiike Lucy?" CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! Lucy thought to herself.

"Yeah, sure!" Natsu said happily, and Lucy felt her cheeks get hot. "She's my best friend!" Mira facepalmed, but suddenly smirked.

"Oh? Well Lucy here said that she didn't like you..."

"What?" He looked at Lucy with confusion and hurt in his eyes. "You-You don't like me, Luce?"

"Ah! Well! I-I like you, Natsu, but just, just not in that way, ya know?"

"What way?" He asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Ugh! I like you Natsu, as a friend."

"No, as a BEST friend." Natsu corrected her, and she rolled her eyes. "OOOF- GRAY! WHY'D YOU JUST PUNCH ME?!" Natsu yelled and pounced on Gray, who punched Natsu, sending him flying a few yards back, and he collided with Lucy, and they both fell on the floor. Natsu was on all fours over Lucy, who was lying on her back.

"Oops, sorry Luce, that ICE BRAIN just punched me really hard."

Lucy tried to sit up, accidentally scooting forward an bumping her own nose into Natsu's. But the fact that their lips were touching took them a little while to notice. Lucy's face reddened to a deep crimson before she got up and ran out of Fairy Tail.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy ran as fast as she could, embarrassed and somewhat sad. That was her first kiss. THAT was her first kiss. She repeated this over and over in her head. She wanyed to run anywhere she could think of. Her legs felt terrible, as if they were about to give out, before she noticed that she was standing in front of her house. She opened the door, and then slammed it, running and stumbling onto her bed. Then, she felt her face get hot and tears started streaming down her reddened cheeks.

"Why?" She asked herself. "I was expecting my first kiss to be a fairy tale! But look how it turned out..." She said before sobbing into her pillow.

Suddenly a strange thought came to her head. _At least it was Natsu... Heck, it could'be been Laxus, or Freed._ Thinking about what would've happened if it were Laxus or Freed, she decided that she would've fainted.

BACK AT THE GUILD

 _Whats her problem? Geez..._ Natsu thought to himself, feeling confused. He just stared at the entrance while sitting on the floor.

His thoughts were interrupted when Ice Princes-Gray, said, "Natsu, you idiot. You're supposed to run after her. Obviously she must have been upset. I mean, you just stole her first kiss for crying out loud."

Natsu stared up at him, baffled, and said, "But my teeth were nowhere NEAR her neck. I don't understand you, Ice Princess."

"Her neck? What? Natsu, what the heck are you talking about? Your'e teeth?" Gray kept bombarding him with questions.

"Yeah, Igneel said that in a way, dragons are like wolves. They mark their mate's neck with thir fangs," He gestured to his overly long ones, which no one knew why they were so long.

"Igneel might've told you that, Flame Brain, but its way different for humans."

Natsu cocked his head to the side. "How exactly does it work for hu-"

"NATSU DRAGNEEL! MY OFFICE!" They heard Makarov's booming voice coming from down the hall.

"Uh-oh." Natsu said before walking into the Master's office.

"Natsu. I heard you caused quite the commotion out there." Gramps said, giving him a knowing look.

"Oh yeah, with Luce? Its really no big deal."

"Natsu, girls want their first kiss to be special. All girls."

"But GRAMPS! I don't even know how humans kiss! Because Igneel said that once your mate is kissed, or marked, they belong to you forever."

"A human kiss happens when a person's lips touch another persons."

"Wait... thats so weird... pointless almost..." Natsu trailed off in thought before a crazy thought popped into his head. "Does that mean that Lucy is mine forever?!"

"Thats only if you want her to be, and if she wants to be."

"Okay, Gramps!" Natsu flashed his fangs at Gramps, "But I don't want Luce to be my mate. We'll be friends forever! She won't leave me!" He said before heading to Lucy's house.

While he was walking to Lucy's house, he was thinking. _Lucy? My Mate? Never. Luce is my best friend._ The more he thought about it, the crazier it sounded, and before he knew it, his face was pinker than his hair. He'd never really thought about anybody being his mate. He never really thought about anything romantic. So that means that he had no idea what he was feeling right now.

When he arrived at Lucy's, he quickly jumped into the window. _Where is she? Where's Luce?_ He thought, panicking.

Then he realized that she must've been taking a bath, an sat on her bed, waiting.

IN THE BATHROOM

 _Ahhhh... a warm bath is just what I needed._ She thought to herself as she relaxed.

When she got out if the bathroom, who did she find asleep on her bed? None other than the one and only, Natsu Dragneel.

"Natsu! What are you doing here?!"

"Sorry Luce..." He said softly.

"Sorry? For what?"

"F-for stealing y-your first k-k-kiss..." He stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

"It's alright Natsu. I know you didn't mean it. It was more my fault, anyway." She said, a forgiving smile on her face, before laying down by Natsu.

THE NEXT DAY, AT THE GUILD

Natsu sat at the bar while eating his "not made by Luce" breakfast.

"So Natsu, what does it look like Lucy is doing?" Mira said sweetly, her plan about to take action.

"Uhh... talking to Levy. Probably about a book."

"Oh! Do you see what she's wearing? It looks pretty, doesn't it?"

Natsu turned bright red. "U-uh, y-yeah, I g-guess..."

"Hey Lucy! Come here!" Mira called.

Lucy ran over to where they were. "Yeah?"

"You sure look pretty today!" Mira said, resulting in slightly pink cheeks from Lucy.

"In fact," Mira said slyly, "Natsu, weren't we just talking about how pretty she was?

"U-uh, y-yeah..." He said, blushing like crazy. Lucy felt her entire face get hot.

"Hey Natsu, tell Lucy what you told me!" Natsu gasped and looked at Mirajabe with pleading eyes. In return, she gave him a sweet, innocent smile.

"Y-you look, pretty today, Luce..." He looked at the floor, more embarrassed than he'd ever been.

 _Natsu thinks I'm... pretty?_ Lucy mentally asked herself while also looking at the floor. Natsu, the most dense boy in the world though she was pretty?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Everyone! Heres the next chapter to my NALU fanfic! And yes, he'll find Igneel! But you gotta be patient!**

 **ENJOY!**

After all that shenanigans, she was walking on the edge of the sidewalk to go home. She was so confused. _Does Natsu... like me? Or did he just think I was pretty..._ She tried to imagine a life with Natsu... _It wouldn't be sooo bad... I wouldn't have to worry about him.. cheating on me, would I? No, Natsu is too sweet. No. NO! Stop it, Lucy. Natsu doesn't like you, and you don't like him. There._ She shook her head, trying to get the strange thoughts out, when she heard...

"One of these days, Lil Lady! You know you'll fall in!"

She just laughed and waved at them. _Everyone in Magnolia is so friendly... its almost like everyone is family._ Finally at her doorstep, she walked in, just to see a mess in her kitchen. There were food splatters everywhere. Broken glass on the floor. And worst of all, Natsu at the kitchen stove, with something black in a pan. The stove was all the way up to high, and Natsu had a giant grin on his face as he saw Lucy walking in.

"Heya, Luce!" He said. "Me and Happy are making you panca-"

"NATSU, YOU IDIOT! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY KITCHEN!" She yelled.

"Sorry about that, Luce! We'll clean it up!"

Too exhausted to protest, she said, "Fine. Just don't use all of my pancake mix." She walked into the living room and found Erza, Gray, Juvia, Levy, and Gajeel.

"What are you guys doing here...?"

Gray replied with, "Natsu said we could come. We're just staying for dinner."

"Gray, my love! Let me make your pancakes! And do your laundry, and wash your dishes, and..." Juvia listed all the things she wanted to do for Gray, while he stared at her blankly.

"I can do all those things myself, you know." Gray replied, coldly.

Juvia faced away and said, "You're right... Juvia is just a nuisance." She started crying.

"Ah-Juvia! I didn't mean it like that!" He said, apologetically. She ignored him, still crying.

"Gray doesn't love Juvia..." She mumbled to herself, and cried more.

Erza leaned towards Gray, and whispered, "Gray, you are terrible! Making a poor girl cry!"

"I-It's not like I meant it!"

"Just hug her. Trust me, she'll forget about the whole thing."

Gray turned towards Juvia and suddenly pulled her into an embrace. "Sorry."

"Gray," She said softly, "Its alright..." Gray noticed that he felt a warmth while hugging Juvia.. a different kind of warmth. He wanted to stay in Juvia's arms forever.

Suddenly he jumped away, a slight redness covering his face. Gajeel and Levy both snickered.

"Look at those lovebirds..." Gajeel said to Levy.

"Its kind of amusing. Looks like Gray has a crush." Levy said quietly, so no one heard but Gajeel.

"Hey, Shrimp! Who do you like?" Gajeel asked, teasingly.

Levy blushed. "L-like I'd tell someone like you!"

"Come on, Shrimp. Gimme a hint."

"W-well, he has black hair.''

Gajeel smirked. "It must be me. Hey, is it me!?"

"W-what gave you that idea? It could be droy, or Alzack!"

Before Gajeel could reply, Natsu walked in with a platter of charcoal looking things. "Theyr'e done!"

"What are those, flame brain?" Gray insulted.

"You think you could do better, Ice Princess?" Everyone grabbed a pancake.

Happy took a big bite of his, and yelled, "GROSS!" Everyone else did the same.

"Its alright, guys!" Lucy said. "Ill just go and buy more. The store is open for another two hours!"

LATER

After everone had finished their pancakes, (made by Lucy, thankfully), Natsu said, "Oh, yeah! Who wants to go on a mission?"

Erza, Gray, and Gray agreed, but Juvia said, "Sorry! Wendy wanted to take me to a new store..."

Levy said, "Yeah, we're going on a mission of our own... sorry." Levy, Gajeel, and Juvia left, Leaving Team Natsu there.

"The mission is kinda weird," Natsu claimed, "It says we have to be there exactly four days fron now." Everyone nodded.

"Well," Lucy said, "You guys can stay the night here if you want. Then we could leave tomorrow, since it is quite a long trip."

"Alright." Erza said. "NATSU! GRAY! You are sleeping on the floor. You can use Lucy's spare blankets. Me and Lucy will share her bed. What do you say, Lucy? It'll be like a sleepover."

"Okay." Lucy said. "I've got something to show you!"

Lucy made two bags of popcorn, one for her and Erza, and one for Natsu and Gray. Late in the night, Natsu heard Erza and Lucy and whispering and giggling. He heard Erza mention Natsu's name in a sentence, and Lucy let out a little shriek. But all he was listening to was Lucy's angelic voice, giggling. _Wait... What!? Do I... love Luce? As a m-mate?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay guys, so here's a new chappy! It's kinda short... but it's also kinda fluffy! I'd make it more fluffy, but I am only thirteen... so no like, extra fluffiness, and definitely NO LEMONS. NONE! I hope you guys like this! Constructive critisicm is greatly accepted!**

 **Disclaimer: I dont own fairy tail... (OBVVIOUSLY! I MEAN THIS WEBSITE IS CALLED FANFICTION FOR A REASON!)**

 **KARYU NO HOKO! ^-^**

"Erza!" Lucy said as she tugged on the redhead's arm, "Wake up! We gotta go now! Erza's face twisted into a look oignoring displeasure and disgust, before slamming her eyes shut again.

"Five... more... minutes..." She groaned, before passing out. As she attempted to wake her up again, she glanced over at the door. Natsu and Gray had previously walked out of to wait outside. Finally, Lucy had to do it. She trudged into the kitchen, filled a glass with ice, and then poured some cold water into it.

After the ice melted, she slowly poured it over Erza's cheek. Then her forehead. Then her

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Erza screamed as she felt the cold liquid on her skin. "Lucy." She said sternly, giving a death stare.

"Ah, y-yes?" Lucy knew that this was the end of h. She expected punishment, but instead got a small smile.

"Thanks."

"Uh, sure..."

* * *

After they got ready, they headed outside, just to be greeted with two impatient stares. Lucy and Natsu immedediately locked eyes, but Natsu quickly turned pink and averted Lucy's gaze. Lucy wondered what was wrong with him. Erza seemed to note the tension between the two.

"This journey must be travelled by foot. It will take awhile to arrive, but we should make it in time." Erza began.

"Um, Erza?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes?" Erza asked, an eyebrow raised.

"w-what if we don't make it on time?"

"Well, there can be no physical punishment. It would most likely result in a reduction of our reward."

Lucy remained silent.

"Uh, Erza?" Natsu asked. "Are we gonna leave now or what?"

"Of course, PINK HAIRED FREAK." Gray taunted.

"Oh yeah? Well no one asked ya, Ice Princess!"

"You wanna go, Flame brain?"

"You...! You Snowfla-"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" Erza asked, a maniacally creepy stare on her face.

"Just talkin to my best friend, Natsu!" Gray said, a big fake grin spread on his face.

Natsu flashed Erza his trademark grin, but it looked... off. She glared at them a moment longer, and when she felt like she was done, she turned away. Natsu annd Gray glared at each other menacingly, before deciding that it was not a good time.

Natsu glanced at Lucy. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of doe brown, and Natsu felt like he couldn't look away. She was in conversation with Erza, talking about a book that she read. But Lucy could feel Natsu watching her. She averted her gaze from Erza, and stared deeply into Natsu's onyx eyes. They stared at each other for what semed like eternity. "Lucy," Natsu breathed. She didn't reply, but looked at him, her cheek tinted pink. "Ah... you... I mean... n-never mind." He looked away quickly.

"Hey, pyro! What's the matter with you?" Gray asked as if he didn't know, but he was smirking noticeably.

Natsu, ignoring his "pyro" comment, looked at the ground, and mumbled, "Nothin.."

"Let's go, guys!" Lucy exclaimed, trying her hardest to lighten the mood. Natsu grinned at her, seemingly back in character, and said, "Alright! I'm all fired up!" Lucy smiled, noticing how adorable he was- wait... what?

* * *

Now, they were exiting Magnolia. It was gonna be a hell of a long walk, and they were gonna have to do some camping, but none of them really seemed to mind it much. After all, what didn't Erza have in her suitcases?

"Oh! I just thought of something," Erza said, as everyone eyed her curiously. "We can use the magic-mobile (probs got that wrong but whatev) for a short while, if you guys would like."

Gray and Lucy both chirped something along the lines of, okay! Or, Yeah! While Natsu, on the other hand, let out a moan, his face paling at the thought of vehicles. After summoning the vehicle, everyone jumped in, Natsu being reluctant, but going anyway.

Lucy sat next to Natsu, while Gray was beside Erza, who was driving. Natsu's face was a foul shade of green, his cheeks puffed out. Lucy wished there was something she could do to help him, but her mind was blank. A large bump made the vehicle bounce about one foot into the air. Natsu, not being able to handle it, fell to the side.

His (adorable, cute, kawaii, amazing, beautiful, etc.) face was now planted in Lucy's lap. She felt her facs turning a deep shade of scarlet, and her cheeks now rivaled that of Erza's hair. "N-Natsu!" She yelled.

"Luuce," he moaned, " Just... let me do this, for a while... okay?" He inhaled her scent, which seemed to help him with his sickness. "It... feels... nice."

Lucy's face turned even more red, if that was possible. "A-alright." He shifted a bit and now his face was turned away from her. She stared at the back of his head for a while, examining the pinkish, spiky tendrils of hair that spiked up in different directions. It looked so... messy, and such a funny color, while it was also so very... touchable. She tried to resist the urge to run her fingers through his hair. But she found herself slowly reaching towards it, and when she brushed her fingers against the tip of his spike, she found it to be very... soft. Almost like silk, actually. She brushed her hand against his hair, before hearing him moan... she figured that she must not be helping. She had just started to pull her hand away when he reached back and grabbed hers. "Don't stop." His voice was low and raspy, making Lucy shiver.

"O-okay!" She squeaked, her hand reaching his head again, and running her fingers through his fluffy pink hair.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Alright. I haven't posted in so long, but I got grounded. For two weeks. Wah! I hope youlike this chappy! Also I wanna thank a few ppls for reviewing! It makes me happies!**

 **Astroman1000: Thanks so muchhhh! You my besfwend! :3**

 **MayleeLynn64: Lol, mine would've been too if I ever did blush.**

 **Johnny Spectre: Lol, thx for reviewing! Muehheehhe!**

Alright, we're going to have to walk now" Erza said, motioning for everyone to get out of the vehicle. "I need to save up on magic powerjust in case anything happens." They were in the forest, which was eerily quiett. The sounds of rustling leaves and a few birds chirping were all to be heard. If they didn't have the map that came along with the mission, they'd most likely be lost by now.

"Okay!" The three others said in unison, although Natsu's voice was a bit slurred, because not even Lucy's slender fingers could ease all of his motion sickness, even if it did help a lot.

"Hey, guys? I'm too hungry to walk!" He whined, like a child. Erza's eyes seemed to light up when he said that. "A picnic! We can have a picnic!" Erza opened up one of her many, MANY, suitcases, and pulled out a red and white checkered blanket. Then, she pulled out a few baskets that were packed with food.

"Ehh, Erza..." Gray started, looking uncomfortable, "Did you... PLAN THIS!?" He along with everyone else were dumbfounded. Erza simply glared at him and said, "Do you have a problem with it?" Her dark brown eyes were glued to his, (NOT IN A ROMANTIC WAYYY!) and he instinctively shrunk back.

But Natsu, on the other hand, well, his eyes lit up at the sight of food. "Wow, Erza! Thanks!" He plopped down on the blanket, letting out a sigh. Lucy took a seat next to him, and Gray was next to Lucy. Erza was on the opposite side of them. "All Right. Take what you want, you guys." Natsu, after hearing Erza's words, started devouring a sandwich that contained nothing but spicy chicken. Gray was eating... ice cream. How surprising. Erza was eating (drumroll please...!) STRAWBERRY CAKE! And Lucy, while thinking, _I'm surrounded by a pack of wild MANIACS,_ simply ate a sandwich that contained lettuce, some kind of meat... and cheese.

"Hey, Luce! Try some of this!" Natsu said happilly, waving some fire chicken in front of Lucy's face. Lucy, who was starting to feel annoyed, said, "No, thanks. I don't really like spicy food."

"Awwww, c'mon, Luce! You might really like it!"

She glared at the chicken that was in front of her face. It woul probably burn out the insides of her mouth. But Natsu said he liked it... but then he also liked fire. But! She could at least give it a try, couldn't she? She could.

"Alright, fine." She aid as she grabbed the chicken from his hands. She took a little nibble off of it, but she couldn't really tste anything. Then, she took a big bite, chewed, and swallowed.

"H-H-HOOOOOOTTTTT!" She screeched, searching for some water. Her toungue was hanging out of her mouth, and everyone could see that it was RED.

"Here." Gray said as he shoved a spoonful of vanilla ice cream into her mouth. It soothed her toungue, and she could almost feel it returning to it's normal color.

"Thanks, Gray!" Then, she turned to face Natsu. "Why did I even agree with you?" Natsu simply shrugged, and said, "I'm sorry Lucy, but I didn't know that would happen." He put both hands up in the air, as if to say, 'I surrender!'

"Whatever." Lucy sighed. Natsu just looked at her for a moment before going back to his rice balls, which were covered in hot sauce. He was sloppily gulping down the food, peices of rice flying everywhere. Lucy glared at him in disgust before scooting a little closer to Gray.

She stayed silent, listening to her friends' voices for a while. Natsu and Gray arguing, Erza yelling at them to shut up, followed by Natsu and Gray squeaking an "Aye!". Then it all just happened again... and again... Lucy slowly felt drowsier and drowsiet before everything turned black.

* * *

Natsu glanced at the sleeping Lucy, who was currently leaning on Gray. This made him insanely angry. Why was his Luce leaning on Ice Princess and not him? He glared at Gray.

Feeling Natsu's eyes on him, Gray glanced over and asked, "What? Jealous?" He only meant it as a joke, because god knows that Natsu would never get jealous over something like that. But Natsu took it seriously.

He turned slightly pink before saying nonchalantly, "Like that's likely." He meant to sound nonchalant, but failed. He avoided looking at anyone.

Gray and Erza were astounded. Was he embarrassed?

"If you're so jealous then why don't you hold her instead?" Gray inquired, smirking, before shoving Lucy into Natsu. She landed in his lap, and Natsu could feel his face turning into a tomato.

"Wh-Why did you..." Natsu stammered. He didn't know what to do. All he could think about was Lucy in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder.

Erza just watched in silence. This was so... new. Natsu had never, EVER, acted like this. Watching Natsu stare at Lucy's sleeping face brought a smile to her own. She knew this would happen.

Lucy began to shiver. She was still asleep, although she was very cold. Unconciously, she wrapped her arms around Natsu's torso, making him blush even harder. She hugged him tightly. Very tightly.

A small smile came to Lucy's lips as she softly said, "Natsu..." She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

Erza, suddenly very flustered, said, "I'm gonna go and... pick some.. strawberries.."

"I-i'll go too..." Gray followed.

Now it was just Natsu and Lucy.

Natsu, still blushing slightly, said, "You're kinda cute, Luce..."

But he didn't know that Lucy had just woken up before he said that.

"WHAT!?" She asked, almost screaming.

Natsu's eyes bugged. "You didn't hear anything!"

"You think i'm... c-cute?"

"I never said that! I said you were KINDA cute... totally different."

Lucy giggled softly. "Good enough for me."

Natsu let out a choking noise.

"I-I just meant that I'm happy you don't think i'm ugly..."

"I don't, you're actually pre- GAAH NEVERMIND!" He quickly jumped away from Lucy.

Wow. Lucy had never felt happier in her life! But... why?


End file.
